Tag: Rory MacDonald

Let’s be honest with ourselves here. When the this bout was first announced the initial reaction was that of pure excitement. While the modern day UFC execs want you to believe that there isn’t a possibility of exciting fights outside of the promotion. Paul Daley versus Rory MacDonald is example of just how crazy that thought process truly is. Each of these men bring something to the table to make this an immensely intriguing bout.

In Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs. Rory “I Refuse to Write His Nickname” MacDonald, we were expecting one of the more technical battles you’ll ever see in the octagon; one was a kickboxing and karate master with a wealth of experience behind him, the other an archetype of the modern MMA fighter whose only losses had come to the top 1% of his division. Suffice it to say, a sloppy haymaker-fest it would not end up being (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Our predictions, as it turns out, were mostly spot-on. What we might not have expected, however, is that Thompson would almost completely shut down MacDonald’s attack over the the course of five rounds and reduce his face to the mashed-up pile of blood and gore that only Robbie Lawler before him was able to do.

It was quite possibly Thompson’s best performance to date, and one that cemented his name as the next title contender (after Tyron Woodley, for whatever reason). As for the “Red King” (dammit, I said it!), well, it looks like it’s back to the drawing board, by which I mean that he may very well have to hire a team of scientists and graphic artists to draw him up a new nose, because he won’t have much of a fighting future left with the one he’s got.

Us MMA fans are a diverse and passionate bunch, which is why it’s truly a rare occurrence to see us unite in agreement over a given topic no matter how trivial. Whether it’s a simple fight pick or our reactions to something bigger — the Reebok deal, for instance — you will always find a broad range of reactions, from positive to incredibly negative (also, hurtful, misogynistic, and erroneously punctuated), strewn across every forum and comments section on the web. But not with UFC 189.

In my 5 years of covering the sport, I don’t know if I’ve *ever* witnessed an event quite like UFC 189. Over the course of the night, our reactions unanimously shifted from excited, to shocked, to overwhelmed, to an emotion that is not yet defined but can best be described as “HWAHHHNNNGGG!!!!” We were *all* the Just Bleed guy by the end of Saturday night, and two days later, I’m still not ready to wash the paint off my chest. It just feels right, you know?

UFC 189 was the kind of event that made us remember why we’ve stuck by this sport as it’s biggest promotion has made one disastrous decision after another. It was the kind of event that almost transcended combat sports in its ability to entertain and captivate. It was the kind of event that Matt Saccaro couldn’t find any holes in, you guys.

So Nation, as expected the most lavishly-promoted fight in UFC history has gone up in smoke. God. Dammit. What could of caused such wrath from the MMA gods? Oh, yeah. Thanks #UFCFightKit.

Anyways, the UFC did secure a back-up plan for the “Notorious” one in Team Alpha Male stud Chad Mendes. The two-time title challenger had been brought into Las Vegas as stand-by, as luck would of have it, was drafted in the 11th hour. Mendes is still a solid replacement against McGregor considering their heated arguments and arguably a tougher stylistic match-up, even if it’s not the fight we were all hoping for. But before I spiral into a deep depression, let’s get into the A-to-Z preview of this weekend’s still pretty epic event, shall we?

(Things turn a real left turn after Robbie delivered his “golf ball through a garden hose” diss.)

I have no idea what the Late O’Clock News is, but I think it’s safe to say that host Paul Lemieux has already surpassed every credentialed member of the MMA media in terms of pure charisma and interviewing prowess with this video alone. Of course, the bar has been set pretty low by guys like this, but I’ll take Lemieux’s Onion-esque style of questioning over “How did your training camp go?” 10 times out of 10.

Late last year, Fans and pundits alike thought MacDonald would face the winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Johny Hendricks II. A controversial decision in Lawler’s favor put the brakes on that since it forced the UFC to book a trilogy between the two welterweights.

MacDonald, left without a dancing partner, will face off with one of the top welterweights in the division in Lombard. We like to think UFC matchmaker Joe Silva booked this fight based on both fighters’ terrible nicknames. We’ve got Rory “The Waterboy”“Ares” “The Red King” vs. Hector “Lightning” “Showweather” Lombard. Ugh. How about the loser AND winner take their nicknames out back and shoot them?

After an abundance of trash talk, a pre-fight press conference brawl, asking pussies if they’re still there, technical breakdowns, and moving betting lines, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier duked it out for five rounds in an early “Fight of the Year” candidate, which went exactly how most of us thought it would. The main card of UFC 182, however, was pretty putrid.

Our excitement was at an all-time high, which is rare nowadays when it comes to MMA in general. This truly felt like 2008 all over again, but sometimes, we rely on nostalgia to compare upcoming fight cards that may or may not be worth viewing live.

Nevertheless, Jones vs. Cormier lived up to the billing, as both light heavyweights engaged in a dogfight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV., this past Saturday night.